Student facing discipline

A Tonganoxie High School student involved in vandalizing school buses last month has a choice to make.

"We will not file charges in this particular case," school superintendent Richard Erickson said Tuesday.

But the superintendent said the student can either be:

Expelled from Tonganoxie High School for the remainder of the school year and pay restitution for tire stems that were broken on the buses.

Suspended for 20 days from the school; clean the interior and exterior of the 25 to 30 buses that Tonganoxie school district owns; and pay restitution.

Restitution likely will top $1,000, Erickson said, because along with the 14 Tonganoxie school buses that were damaged on Dec. 21, a Basehor school bus and one owned by Tonganoxie Christian Church were vandalized.

"We're allowing the student and his family to determine what alternative they wish to accept," Erickson said. "We hope to hear in the next several days."

Erickson said he couldn't be specific about why the student was offered a choice, but he said: "This was felt to be the best disciplinary alternative for the party involved.

"Yet we feel it sends a message to other students that whenever you're involved in crime, you're going to suffer severe consequences, and we believe these are severe consequences."

The student, who Erickson would not identify was removed from school after he talked with police.

"When the police got an admission from him, he was immediately suspended," Erickson said.

The Tonganoxie police department is continuing its investigation.

"We think there is a possibility that other students were involved," Erickson said.

Police officer John Putthoff said police continue to investigate a break-in on Dec. 28 at the junior high school and a spray-painting incident on the patio at the high school and a footbridge behind the school.

And Erickson said officials are waiting for information from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation before filing charges in connection with the Sept. 8 vandalism of the high school football field and track.

"This doesn't involve a student," Erickson said. "In some situations, some charges may be filed, even if it does involve a student. We're taking each one on its own merit." Continued from page 1A